Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles 2023

Breaking Walls is an urban arts and culture festival that took place on the weekend of 23-25 June 2023. This edition, hopefully the first of many, was actually a joint event with Meeting Of Styles, the first Canadian MOS event in over a decade.

The photo gallery below features everything that was painted during the weekend. It is divided into 4 different sections, one for every one of the ‘campuses’ where people painted: the main area in the perimeter between Rouen, Moreau, Ontario and the train track; Moreau south of Ontario; de Rouen west of the tunnel; Florian between de Rouen and Hochelaga. A fifth section features a few pieces done in or around the main area but not officially on the programme.

External links:
Breaking Walls on Instagram
Meeting Of Styles Canada on Instagram

Breaking Walls est un festival urbain d’art et de culture qui a eu lieu le week-end du 23 au 25 juin 2023. Cette édition, espérons-le la première d’une longue série, était en fait un événement conjoint avec Meeting Of Styles, le premier événement MOS canadien depuis plus d’une décennie.

La galerie de photos ci-dessous présente tout ce qui a été peint pendant le week-end. Elle est divisée en 4 sections, une pour chacun des “campus”: la zone principale dans le périmètre entre Rouen, Moreau, Ontario et la voie ferrée; Moreau au sud d’Ontario; de Rouen à l’ouest du tunnel; Florian entre de Rouen et Hochelaga. Une cinquième section présente quelques pièces réalisées dans, ou autour de la zone principale mais qui n’étaient pas officiellement au programme.

Liens externes:
Breaking Walls sur Instagram
Meeting Of Styles Canada sur Instagram


Above 2: different angles on Lauren Ys‘ wall.

Mos Geez

Zek

Ankh One and Jrne.

Fats
This is one of two contributions by Fats to this event, scroll down to view the other, a joint wall with Dcre.

Zoltan

Dodo Osé

Nemo

Minivan side by Omar Bernal.
Photo © Omar Bernal.

Opposite side of the above minivan by Her.
Photo © Her.

Axe Lalime

Collaboration of Korb, Opire and Bruno Smoky.

Peru143 on letters and Astro above.

Collaboration of Trepo Parker (top left), Nick Sweetman (top right), Xeme (ground left) and Tensoe (ground right).

Filco

Polographe

Hank

Jijon

Christina Mazzulla

Sermob

Island Maps

Retro and Raquel Hernandez.

Yuda

Monk.e and Luvs.

Haks

Arlick

Old Hues

Bryan Beyung

Jarus

On Moreau street below Ontario

Collaboration of Dfek, Tchug and Zen.

Sore

Skor

Wysper

Narc

Janek

Bhar (ground) and Deep (above).

Unfinished pieces by Honey, Bibi Una and Vazy.

On de Rouen street

Fats (ground) and Dcre (above).
Fats also painted another piece in the main area, scroll up to view.

Hospek (ground) and Clev (above).

Above 3: the K6A / Crazy Apes wall. First the K6A half (featuring Saer, Royal, Fleo), then the Crazy Apes half (featuring Sank and Crane), then the complete wall.

Makes

On Florian street

Killa EF

Some

Sober

Pito

Kare

Ofusk

Spaik

Moxie

Date

Daur

Unidentified artist.

Blaze

Antes

Mono Sourcil

Sane

Sewer

Hsix

Cemz

Off-festival contributions

The following pieces were done during the festival but are not believed to have been on the programme.

Les pièces suivantes ont été réalisées pendant la tenue du festival mais ne semblent pas avoir été au programme.

Hot Boys (ground), Smoke (above left) and Resn (above right).

Verbe

Unidentified artist.

Bosny

Ofusk had an official piece in the festival (scroll up to view), but contributed this one as well.

Jouet

Canettes de Ruelle 2023

This image gallery brings together photos of all the pieces created for the 7th edition of Canettes de Ruelle. This 2023 edition was the biggest so far, with over 60 walls painted. As usual, it took place in the alleys between 5th and 9th avenues, from Masson to St-Joseph. The gallery below is roughly sorted from west to east, down the 5th/6th Avenue alley, up the 6th/7th, down the 7th/8th and up the 8th/9th.

Cette gallerie-photo présente toutes les oeuvres crées dans le contexte de la 7e édition du festival Canettes de Ruelle. Cette édition 2023 a été la plus importante à date, avec plus d’une soixantaine de murs peints. Pour cette édition 2023, le festival s’est encore déroulé dans les ruelles entre la 5e Avenue et la 9e Avenue, de Masson à St-Joseph. La gallerie ci-dessous est présentée approximativement d’ouest en est, descendant la ruelle 5e/6e Avenue, montant la ruelle 6e/7e, redescendant la 7e/8e et enfin remontant la 8e/9e.


Naimo and Amon.

Teen Adultt

Paner, Algue and Trak.
Trak also contributed letters to Patrick Wilson’s contribution seen further down this list.

Blanche Renarde

Mart

Rouge Color

Hospek and Aldarwin rooftop collaboration.

Jess Krav and KT Pag.

James Wilson

Hasina

Above 3: full shot and close-ups of Vatos Abstractos‘ contribution. Omar Bernal painted the three characters over Adida Fallen Angel‘s recognizable semi-abstract motifs.

Above 2: natural and recreated shots of the collaboration between LSNR, SCHN and Gaulois.

Lama‘s Hary and Alexis Vaillancourt.
Two other Lama guys collaborated on a different wall, scroll down to view.

Louis Letters and Adi.

Eve Lag

Zoe Gelfant

Her and Dank.

Jamie Janx and the children from the neighbourhood.

L’Agave

Devon Gold (left) and Okey (right).

Collaboration of Origami Explorateur and Melsa Montagne.

Above 3: ground and roof shots of the collaboration between Nero, Hayer, Paul Choix, etc.

Airod and Ekes. Stock’s part of the mural around the left is shown below.

Stock’s segment of the collaboration with Airod and Ekes shown above.

Lama‘s Ludovic Mio and Mart.
Two more Lama guys collaborated on a different wall, scroll up to view.
Photo © Olivier B (Canettes de Ruelle)

Tshoko

MC Baldassari

Moule

Snaxx and Syrup.

Cabe

Faser

Peru143

The OTM crew‘s wall featuring Ekié (central character), Titi McCoy (other human characters), Facies (calligraphy) and M.Roboto (snakes).

Acher and Moeka.

Bhar and Jher.

Sore

Marc-Olivier Lamothe
Photo © Marc-Olivier Lamothe

Grrraaand

Bibi Una

Kawaz (ground) and Wuna (above).

Medusa

Kaori Izumiya and Julian Palma.

Muriel de Mai.
The collage by Collages Féminicides on the door beneath is from the 2022 edition of the festival.

Jenna Schwartz and Bryce Aspinall.

MSHL and Diane Roe.

Aner Urra

Pasco

Alors

Menar

Patrick Forchild featuring Trak on letters.
Trak also contributed letters to the collaboration of Opire, Algue and Paner seen above, scroll up to view.

Alice Demée (left) and Fat Surinder (right).

Octavio Ruest

Hest and EK Sept.

Marc Lemieux and Trop De Couleurs.

Jorge Martinez

Q Serge

Arpi

Cast

XPR’s Arcel and War.

Zola and the Urubus.

Riot featuring throws by Fault (top left) and Psycho (top right), as well as a character by Micer (bottom right).

Jouet and MP3.

Peace and Froke.

Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art

This image gallery brings together 100 great murals and other painted street art pieces from 2023. It is not necessarily the best of the year because taste is a subjective thing and I was obviously not able to photograph everything. The selection was done partly from my own personal favourites but mostly from those of my followers on Instagram. Of course this list was put together from what I was actually able to photograph, so keep in mind that it may lack some great work that just slipped between the cracks.

The pieces are shown here in alphabetical order of artist/crew name. To ensure that the list wasn’t filled with only work from a few popular artists, I have set a maximum of 4 pieces per artist. Collaborations by two or more artists count as one entry.

See also:
Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations
Retrospective of 2023 graffiti

Cette galerie-photo présente 100 murales et autres pièces de street art peint créées en 2023 à Montréal. Cette liste n’a pas la prétention d’être un best of de l’année puisque les goûts sont personnels et je n’ai évidemment pas eu la chance de tout photographier. La sélection s’est faite en partie parmi mes pièces favorites, mais surtout parmi les préférées de mes abonnés Instagram. Cette liste a bien sur été créée à partir de ce que j’ai eu la chance de trouver et de photographier, ce qui signifie que quelques chef d’oeuvres de 2023 pourraient ne pas y figurer.

Les pièces apparaissent ci-dessous en ordre alphabétique d’artiste/crew. Pour que la liste ne soit pas totalement accaparée par quelques artistes populaires, j’ai fixé un maximum de 4 pièces par personne. Les collaborations entre deux ou plusieurs artistes sur un même thème ne comptent que pour une entrée.

Voir aussi:
Retrospective 2023 street art collé et installations
Retrospective 2023 graffiti


Acid at the PSC legal graffiti wall.

Arlick for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Arlick in St-Henri.

Arpi for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.
Arpi also contributed to the Tyxna wall further down this list. He had a very busy 2023 and is therefore also featured in the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations as well as the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Above 2: two angles of a huge creation by Art du Commun in Griffintown. Zoom in for details.

Astro in the Plateau.

Astro in Montreal-Nord.
Astro also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations as well as the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti (under ‘Peru’).

One of Awie‘s many contribution to the Crack House Deluxe project.
Awie also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

One of Axe Lalime‘s many contributions to the Crack House Deluxe project which he co-created and co-curated with Korb. A photo retrospective of this memorable project is being prepared.

Axe Lalime in Hochelaga.
Axe also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Bacon‘s contribution to the 2023 edition of Mural Festival.

Self-portrait by Omar Bernal at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Omar Bernal from the Crack House Deluxe project.

Omar Bernal‘s contribution to the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.
Omar also participated in Canettes de Ruelle as a member of Vatos Abstractos, scroll down this list to view.

Bryan Beyung for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Borrris mural in Rosemont.

Above 5: a huge mural by Bosny in Lachine, basically all done in solo. The first shot is the complete wall, followed by close-ups over 4 shots. Each panel features a local plant emblematic of each month of the year, see Bosny’s own posts on the subject for more information on the mural and its creation.
Bosny also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Deps at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Dodo Osé for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.
Dodo is also a member of the Tyxna collective which has a wall in this retrospective, scroll down to see.

Izabelle Duguay in the Plateau.

Ekié in Petite-Patrie.
Ekié is a member of the OTM crew who also have two collective murals in this retrospective, scroll down to view.

Facies in Petite-Patrie.
Facies is a member of the OTM crew who also have two collective murals in this retrospective, scroll down to view. He also collaborated with his OTM crewmate Titi McCoy on a mural listed below.

Fart in Côte St-Paul.

Filco in Hochelaga.

Patrick Forchild featuring a namepiece by Trak, for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Off-Mural piece by Guille.

Hank for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Hank in Hochelaga.
Hank also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Hary inside an abandoned building.
Hary also makes this list with his Lama brothers, scroll down to see. He also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Hasina for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Her‘s main contribution to the Crack House Deluxe project.

Hob‘s running legs character is all over the city, and this more elaborate version makes it into this retrospective.

Hozek in Hochelaga.
Hozek also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti, in solo as well as with the LTG crew.

Hsix for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Above 4: four sides of a park chalet by Kaori Izumiya in Ville St-Laurent.

Above 2: Jamie Janx in Villeray. The garage door in the second shot is older work by SBU One.

Jarus for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Jijon for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.
Jijon also contributed a character to a piece by Deep found in the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Ali Khoda in Ville St-Laurent.

Above 2: Kid Vil (1st) and Shalik (2nd) at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Korb, Opire and Bruno Smoky collaboration for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

One of Korb‘s many contributions to the Crack House Deluxe project which he co-created and co-curated with Axe Lalime. A photo retrospective of this memorable project is being prepared.

Korb in St-Henri.
Korb also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Nikki Küntzle‘s contribution to the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.
Nikki is one of the artists having worked on the huge tribute to Françoise Sullivan found further down this retrospective, scroll down to see.

The Lama brothers Mart, Hary and Alexis Vaillancourt in Mile End.
Hary from this collective also makes this recap with solo work, scroll up to see.

Kevin Ledo in Hochelaga.

Lost Claws inside an abandoned building.

The 2023 Lost Claws flavor at Dairy Queen.

Lost Clawss on the roof of this abandoned diner. Older pieces by Flesh, Airod, Czar and Gore are visible at ground level.

Lost Claws in a great chill spot.
Lost Claws also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations.

Above 2: natural and ‘recreated’ shots of the LSNR, SCHN and Gaulois near-abstract collaboration for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.
Gaulois as Mad Rats also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations.

Mart for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Christina Mazzulla for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Titi McCoy in a Plateau alley.

Titi McCoy and Facies collaboration in the Plateau.
Both artists are part of the OTM crew who also have 2 walls in this retrospective (scroll down). Facies also makes it into this list with solo work (scroll up).

Medusa inside an abandoned building.

Monk.e featuring Luvs from Toronto, for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Monk.e and Mr. Myl‘s collaboration for the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.
Mr. Myl also painted a solo wall for Under Pressure, scroll down a bit to see that.

Tribute to Zilon by Monk.e on the terrasse of Foufounes Electriques. Zilon, a legend of Montreal urban art, passed away on 26 July 2023.

Monk.e in Hochelaga.
Monk.e also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Mono Sourcil in the garment district.

Mr Myl‘s main contribution to the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.
Mr Myl also guested on Monk.e’s Under Pressure wall, scroll up a bit to view.

MSHL and Diane Roe‘s collaboration for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.
Both artists have worked on the huge tribute to Françoise Sullivan found further down this retrospective, scroll down to see.

Old Hues for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Oma Nut at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel. The artist first painted the left piece, then added the right one a few days later.

Origami Explorateur and Melsa Montagne collaboration for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Os Gemeos were one of the main acts on the programme of the 2023 edition of Mural Festival. After seeing their work around the world it was great to have them in Montreal.

The OTM crew in Petite-Patrie. The central character is by Ekié , the letters by Facies, and everything else by Titi McCoy and Roboto.

The OTM crew‘s contribution to the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.
All members of this crew have solo work in this retrospective, scroll to the names of Titi McCoy, Ekié , Facies and Roboto to view.

Pichiavo in the Village.

Polographe in Ville St-Michel.

Polographe‘s contribution to the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.

Blanche Renarde‘s contribution to the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Retro and Raquel Hernandez for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Roboto in the Plateau.
Roboto is a member of the OTM crew who have two walls in this photo recap, scroll up to see.

Rouks in Rosemont.

Rouks‘s contribution to the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.

Octavio Ruest‘s contribution to the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.
Octavio also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations.

Saype’s much documented painted piece on the grass of Mont-Royal park for the 2023 edition of Mural Festival. This can’t be properly photographed without a drone, so this photo was taken by Saype.

SBU One and Sermob collaboration in Rosemont.
SBU also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations.

Scribe in Rosemont.

Seth‘s third mural in Montreal was painted in Mile End.

Shalak‘s contribution to the 2023 edition of Mural Festival.

Two angles of the great tribute to Françoise Sullivan in Ville-Marie. The mural, titled “Damiers”, was designed by Sullivan and painted over 2 months by artists Arno Larose, MSHL, Diane Roe, Nikki Küntzle, le Monstr, Corinne Lachance, Julie Legault-Béliveau, Jenna Schwartz and Marianne Blondeau d’Amour.
Nikki Küntzle also has solo work, and MSHL and Diane Roe a collaboration in this retrospective, scroll up to their names to view.

Syrup‘s contribution to Graff Jam 77.
Syrup also contributed a character to a piece by Hospek found in the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Tima’s mural for the 2023 edition of Mural Festival.

The iconic Ashop wall originally done for the 2013 edition of Mural Festival was given a major facelift this year thanks to the guys from Tyxna. Featuring Tyxna’s Fuser, Zek, Dodo Osé and Ankh One, as well as guests Nick Sweetman, Haks and Arpi.
Dodo and Arpi both have solo work in this retrospective, scroll up to their names to see.
The crew and their guests also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Aner Urra‘s contribution to the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Aner Urra downtown.

Two pieces by Vagoe at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel. The artist first painted the woman, then added the lion a few days later.

Above 3: full shot and close-ups of Vatos Abstractos‘ contribution to the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle. Omar Bernal painted the three characters over Adida Fallen Angel‘s recognizable semi-abstract motifs.
Omar Bernal also has solo work in this photo recap, scroll up to his name to view.

Waxhead and Labrona off-Mural Festival 2023.

Waxhead and Labrona in a Mile End alley.

Waxhead and Labrona in Mile End.
Labrona also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations.

James Wilson‘s much loved contribution to the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Wuna in Hochelaga.
Wuna also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti, in solo as well as a guest on the LTG crew wall.

Lauren Ys‘ contribution to the 2023 edition of Mural Festival.

Above 2: two angles of Lauren Ys‘ mural for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.
Lauren also contributed to a piece by Awie found in the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Yuda for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Zola and the Urubus for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.
Zola also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations.

Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations

This image gallery brings together 100 pieces of Montreal street art from 2023 that were created in a studio, then pasted, glued, screwed in or cemented into a public place. It is not necessarily the best of the year because taste is a subjective thing and I was obviously not able to photograph everything. The selection was done partly from my own personal favourites but mostly from those of my followers on Instagram. Of course this list was put together from what I was actually able to photograph, so keep in mind that it may lack some great work that just slipped between the cracks.

The pieces are shown here in alphabetical order of artist name. To ensure that the list wasn’t filled with only work from a few popular artists, I have set a maximum of 4 pieces per person. Collaborations by two or more artists count as one entry.

See also:
Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art
Retrospective of 2023 graffiti

Cette galerie-photo présente 100 pièces de street art produites en 2023 à Montréal, créées en studio avant d’être collées, vissées ou fixées dans le ciment dans un endroit public. Cette liste n’a pas la prétention d’être un best of de l’année puisque les goûts sont personnels et je n’ai évidemment pas eu la chance de tout photographier. La sélection s’est faite en partie parmi mes pièces favorites, mais surtout parmi les préférées de mes abonnés Instagram. Cette liste a bien sur été créée à partir de ce que j’ai eu la chance de trouver et de photographier, ce qui signifie que quelques chef d’oeuvres de 2023 pourraient ne pas y figurer.

Les pièces apparaissent ci-dessous en ordre alphabétique de nom d’artiste. Pour que cette liste ne soit pas totalement accaparée par quelques artistes populaires, j’ai fixé un maximum de 4 pièces par personne. Les collaborations entre deux ou plusieurs artistes ne comptent que pour une entrée.

Voir aussi:
Retrospective 2023 murales et autre street art peint
Retrospective 2023 graffiti


Paste-up by April Showers in the Mural zone.

A wood installation by Arpi, in Côte St-Paul.

A wood installation by Arpi, in Hochelaga.

Above 2: a wood installation by Arpi in Pointe St-Charles.

A wood installation by Arpi, in the Plateau.
Arpi was particularly active in 2023, he also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art as well as the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Astro stickers from 2023.
Astro also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art as well as the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti (under ‘Peru’).

Paste-up by Bewildering Eye found in Mile End.

Bordalo II‘s awesome contribution to this year’s edition of Mural Festival, made only from local disused objects.

A poster by Cam found in the Plateau.

Paste-up by Cat’n’Paste found in Mile End.

Paste-up by Cat’n’Paste found in Mile End.

Isaac Cordal figurine, one of 15 for Mural Festival in the Mural zone, next to an earlier Mad Rats paste-up.
Gaulois from the Mad Rats’ actually has 2 more of these paste-ups make it into this recap, scroll down to view.

Above 2: another of of Isaac Cordal‘s 15 figurines put up for the 2023 edition of Mural Festival.

Above 2: another of of Isaac Cordal‘s 15 figurines put up for the 2023 edition of Mural Festival.

Above 2: another of of Isaac Cordal‘s 15 figurines put up for the 2023 edition of Mural Festival.

A wheatpaste by CSRK in Little Italy.

A wheatpaste by CSRK in Mile End.

A wheatpaste by CSRK in Mile End.

A wheatpaste by CSRK in the Plateau.

Paste-up by Damn, in the Plateau.

A tag sticker by Dfek.

A tag sticker by Dfek.

A tag sticker by Dfek.
Dfek is one of this city’s great graffiti writers, it’s no surprise that he has also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Above 3: 3 examples of Dodo Urbain‘s wheatpaste put up around the city where homeless people were seen sleeping or lying down on the ground.

A tall poster by Ekié in Hochelaga.

A paste-up by Ekié in Mile End.

A poster by Ekié in Hochelaga.
There’s one more piece by Ekié in this retrospective, scroll down to Stay Beautiful to view.

It was great to see the return of Futur Lasor Now this year, this was one of his new sticker designs.

Another new sticker by Futur Lasor Now.

Another new sticker by Futur Lasor Now.

Another new sticker by Futur Lasor Now.

Laurent Gascon’s 2023 mosaic tribute to a local cultural icon was of Kim Yaroshevskaya as the character of Fanfreluche which made her famous. This is in Hochelaga, like most of his creations.

A paste-up by Goldie Fawn in Mile End.

A paste-up by Goldie Fawn in Mile End.

Paste-ups by Hustler Two (left) and Zyk (right), in the Plateau.
Scroll down to Zyk’s name near the end of this list for more by this pasting artist.

A paste-up by Hustler Two in the Plateau.

A paste-up by Irritated Eye in the Mural zone.

A paste-up by Irritated Eye in the Mural zone.

A paste-up by Irritated Eye in the Mural zone.

A Junko installation made from disused material, installed on an abandoned building in the South West. To see more shots of each of the Junko pieces in this recap, click on Junko’s name to see the wall2wallMTL spotlight on this artist.

A Junko installation made from disused material, inside an abandoned building.

A Junko installation made from disused material, on an old bridge pillar in the middle of Canal Lachine.

Junko‘s contribution to this year’s edition of Mural Festival.

A paste-up by Labrona in the Plateau.

A paste-up by Labrona in the Plateau.

A paste-up by Labrona in Outremont.

A paste-up by Labrona in Mile End.
Labrona also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

A Lost Claws wheatpaste in the city centre.

Lost Claws installation on a Mile End roof.

A Lost Claws wheatpaste in the Plateau.

A Lost Claws wheatpaste in Little Italy.
Lost Claws also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

A paste-up by Gaulois representing Mad Rats in the Plateau.

Another paste-up by the Mad Rats‘ Gaulois.
There is one more paste-up by Mad Rats in this retrospective, scroll up to ‘Cordal’ to see. Gaulois also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art, under LSNR.

A wheatpaste by Maika in the Quartier des Spectacles.

Above 2: one of Makenoize‘s iconic paste-ups, on an abandoned downtown church.

A wheatpaste mural by Mirov in Hochelaga. Zoom in for details.

A wheatpaste by Mistake Project. Variations in colour have also been spotted.

A mosaic installation by Jean Mosaïque in Petite-Patrie.

Two small posters and a sticker by Nach.

A paste-up by National Zombi found in Mile End.

A paste-up by Ole in the Plateau.

A Pantie Sniffer sticker next to one of our own!

Radical Playground was in town this summer and put up a series of paste-ups around the Plateau.

One more by Radical Playground in the Plateau.

One more by Radical Playground in the Plateau.

One more by Radical Playground in the Plateau.

River June‘s photo-op installation for this year’s edition of Mural Festival. It was inspired by Bordalo II’s creation from disused items done nearby, also in the context of Mural.

Above 4: a tryptich of Octavio Ruest paste-ups. First shot is the complete installation, followed by close-ups on each piece of the tryptich.
Octavio also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

A new SBU One sticker.
SBU One also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Wheatpastes by Stay Beautiful (left) and Ekié (right) in Hochelaga.
Ekié has 3 more posters and pasted pieces in this retrospective, scroll up to his name to view.

A wheatpaste by Stay Beautiful in Hochelaga.

A wheatpaste by Stay Beautiful in Hochelaga.

A wheatpaste by Stikki Peaches in the Plateau.

A wheatpaste by Stikki Peaches in Mile End.

A wheatpaste by Stikki Peaches in the Quartier des Spectacles.

A set of wheatpastes by Stikki Peaches in Little Italy.

A sticker by Swik.

A sticker by Swik.
Swik is mainly into graffiti, it’s no surprise that he has also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 graffiti.

Tbanbox was by far the most active wheatpaster in the city in 2023, this montage was put up by Canal Lachine.

Tbanbox in the Plateau.

A montage of Tbanbox wheatpastes in the Plateau.

Tbanbox in the Quartier des Spectacles.

Terrorizer was also one of the busiest wheatpasters this year, particularly in the year’s final few months.

A wheatpaste by Terrorizer.

A set of wheatpastes by Terrorizer.

A wheatpaste by Terrorizer.

Two posters by Two Cents One in graffiti alley.

A paste-up by Victor Devenir in graffiti alley.

A paste-up by Victor Devenir in graffiti alley.

A paste-up by Victor Devenir in Mile End.

This Zola poster was spotted in a few locations, with and without text.

A large poster by Zola, in Hochelaga.

A tribute to Jocey Shadows by Zola, in Mile End.

A wheatpaste by Zola in the Quartier des Spectacles.
Zola also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

A paste-up by Zyk in the Plateau.

A paste-up by Zyk in the Plateau.

A paste-up by Zyk in the Plateau.
There’s one more piece by Zyk in this retrospective, scroll up to ‘Hustler Two’ to view.

This trio of paste-ups was found in Hochelaga, presumably by the unidentified artist who has been putting up pieces representing citizens of the neighbourhood for a few years now.

A lifesize wheatpaste found in Mile End, the artist has not yet been identified.

A traffic sign hijacking by an unidentified artist, found in the Plateau.

Retrospective of 2023 graffiti

This image gallery brings together 200 great pieces of Montreal graffiti from 2023. It is not necessarily the best of the year because taste is a subjective thing and I was obviously not able to photograph everything. The selection was done partly from my own personal favourites but mostly from those of my followers on Instagram. Of course this list was put together from what I was actually able to photograph, so keep in mind that it may lack some great work that just slipped between the cracks.

The pieces are shown here in alphabetical order of artist/crew name. To ensure that the list wasn’t filled with only work from a few popular writers, I have set a maximum of 3 pieces per artist. Collaborations by two or more artists under one common theme count as one entry.

See also:
Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art
Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations

Cette galerie-photo présente 200 pièces de graffiti produites en 2023 à Montréal. Cette liste n’a pas la prétention d’être un best of de l’année puisque les goûts sont personnels et je n’ai évidemment pas eu la chance de tout photographier. La sélection s’est faite en partie parmi mes pièces favorites, mais surtout parmi les préférées de mes abonnés Instagram. Cette liste a bien sur été créée à partir de ce que j’ai eu la chance de trouver et de photographier, ce qui signifie que quelques chef d’oeuvres de 2023 pourraient ne pas y figurer.

Les pièces apparaissent ci-dessous en ordre alphabétique de nom d’artiste/crew. Pour que la liste ne soit pas totalement accaparée par quelques graffeurs populaires, j’ai fixé un maximum de 3 pièces par personne. Les collaborations entre deux ou plusieurs artistes sur un même thème ne comptent que pour une entrée.

Voir aussi:
Retrospective 2023 murales et autre street art peint
Retrospective 2023 street art collé et installations


Anonymous tribute to Nicous D’Andre Spring, in an empty lot in Hochelaga.

510 Plus 165 in Rosemont.

Acek at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Acher and Omic on an industrial rooftop.
Scroll down to ‘Omic’ for more by this graffer.

Acher inside an abandoned building.

Acher inside an abandoned building.

ACK / K6A crews’ wall for the Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles event, featuring Trepo Parker, Nick Sweetman, Xeme and Tensoe.
Nick also appears in the list below under ‘Serak’.

Adi inside an abandoned building.

Adi inside an abandoned building.

Airod (TER) and Ofet (DW) in Ville St-Laurent.
More by Airod below, under ‘Ekes’ and under ‘Stock’.

Archnemeses Aper and Zonek. Zonek’s piece is earlier than 2023 but Aper settled in next door this year, giving photographers the opportunity of shooting them side by side.

Arpi for the 2023 Lachine graffiti jam.

Arpi in Pointe St-Charles.
Arpi had a busy year, he also made it into the soon to be published Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art as well as the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations.

Art Gang’s Senck and Snipes in Côte des Neiges.

Above 4: Art Gang’s wall for the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival: close-ups on Cemz, Senck and Snipes and Timer‘s letters, plus complete wall featuring Jaker‘s huge piece.
Cemz also appears below under his name and under ‘Zek’. Timer also appears in another Art Gang prod below, as well as in solo. Jaker has solo work below and also makes it into this retrospective under ‘Sapo’.

Above 4: Art Gang prod in Côte des Neiges featuring Senck, Smak, Snipes and Timer.
Smak and Timer also have solo entries in this list (scroll down), and Smak appears as well under ‘Maps’.

Ason in Rosemont.

Awie in St-Henri featuring a character by Lauren Ys.
Lauren has 2 walls in the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Awie in Hochelaga

Axe Lalime and Awie in Hochelaga.
Both also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

One of Axe Lalime‘s many pieces in the Crack House Deluxe project which he co-created and co-curated with Korb. A photo retrospective of this memorable project is being prepared.

Axe Lalime at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Bacer in Ahuntsic.

Bacer in Côte St-Paul for the TFO40 jam.

BAD crew piece in NDG featuring Micer, Riot, Psycho and Fault.
More below by Micer, Riot and Psycho.

Bhar inside an abandoned building.
More Bhar below under ‘CEK’.

Bibi Una off St-Laurent.

Blaze in the South West.
More by Blaze below under ‘Hot Boys’.

Blek in Hochelaga.

Bosny for the 2023 Lachine graffiti jam.

Bosny inside an abandoned building.
Bosny also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Case in Ahuntsic.

Casp in Hochelaga.

Cast and Asar in St-Henri.

Highwayside Cast.
More Cast is found below under ‘CMP’.

CEK collaboration of Bhar, Deep and Amon.
Amon is also found below under ‘Naimo’.

Above 2: CEK’s Bhar, Deep, Jher and Bigo in Hochelaga.
Bhar, Deep and Jher also have more work in this list under their respective names. Jher also appears under ‘Metz’.

Cemz in St-Henri.
There’s more Cemz above under ‘Art Gang’ and below under ‘Zek’.

Clev in Hochelaga.

C’Lok at the Papineau legal graffiti wall.
More great work by Clok below under ‘Maniak’.

Trackside CMP session featuring Drif and Cast.
Cast also appears above under his name.

Cone’s piece in the 2023 alley tribute to Scan for Mural Festival.

Trackside Corset.

Crane‘s contribution to the Crack House Deluxe project.
More by Crane below under ‘Crazy Apes’ and under ‘K6A/Crazy Apes’.

The Crazy Apes‘ wall for the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival, featuring Korb, Akuma, Sank, Crane and Havok.
Korb, Sank and Crane also have solo work in this retrospective. Sank and Crane are also on the K6A / Crazy Apes wall further down this list.

Deep featuring a character by Jijon, for the Graff Jam 77 prod.
More by Deep above under ‘CEK’.
Jijon also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Deso, Jebse and Beast in Pointe St-Charles.

Deso, Jebse, Dape and Beast in Pointe St-Charles.

Above 3: Dfek and Zen in the Plateau, close-ups on each letter piece then full wall.
More by those two below under ‘Zen’. Dfek also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations.

EK Sept inside an abandoned building.
More by EK Sept in this list under ‘Hest’ and under ‘LTG’.

Ekes, Airod, Stock and Qepy for the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.
More by Airod above under his name. More Ekes, Airod and Stock below under Stock’s name. Qepy also has solo work in this retrospective, see below.

Ekes in highwayland.

Trackside Ekler.

Ekler for the 2023 Lachine graffiti jam.

Ekual inside an abandoned building.
There’s more by Ekual in this list under ‘Metz’.

Ensor in Rosemont.

Eskro and Leys by the highway.

Leys and Eskro on an abandoned building.

Eskro on an abandoned building.

Evism on a bridge pillar.

Ewol in Rosemont.

F.One in Rosemont.

F.One in Rosemont.

F.One in Hochelaga.

Fake inside an abandoned building.

Fleo‘s contribution to the Crack House Deluxe project.
Fleo also contributed to the K6A / Crazy Apes wall found below.

Highwayside Flesh featuring a character by Gros Pouel.

Flesh from a MG crew prod in Mile Ex.
More by Flesh below under ‘MG’.

Trackside FT Crew piece by 1BL3 and Clast.

Giles from a MG crew prod in Mile Ex.

Giles inside an abandoned building.
More by Giles below under ‘MG’.

Haks and Nemo for the 2023 Lachine graffiti jam.
More by Haks below under ‘LTG’ and under ‘Tyxna’.

Hank in Hochelaga.
Hank also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Hary inside an abandoned building.

Hary inside an abandoned building.
Hary also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Above 2: 2 angles of a house side roller by Help in Pointe St-Charles.

Hest and EK Sept‘s collaboration for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.
EK Sept also makes it into this list with solo work as well as under ‘LTG’.

Hest inside an abandoned building.

Hest in Hochelaga.

Hoar in Hochelaga.
Hoar also contributed to the LTG crew wall found below.

Above 3: Riok, Aldarwin and Hospek at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Hospek featuring character by Syrup at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.
Syrup also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Hot Boys’ Blaze and Moxie on a disused metro car.
Blaze also has a solo piece in this list, scroll up to his name to view.

Hozek in Hochelaga.
Hozek also appears on the LTG wall found below as well as in the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Massive Jaker on a pillar of the Jacques-Cartier bridge.
It’s been a massive year for Jaker, you can see more above under ‘Art Gang’ and below under ‘Sapo’.

Janek‘s contribution to Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Javes inside an abandoned building.

Javes inside an abandoned building.

Jher and Snob in Hochelaga.
There’s more by Jher above under ‘CEK’ and below under ‘Metz’.

Joh’ste from the first big prod of the year, in Mercier.

June in Ahuntsic.

Above 3: the K6A / Crazy Apes wall for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles. First the K6A half (featuring Saer, Royal, Fleo), then the Crazy Apes half (featuring Sank and Crane), then the complete wall.
Royal, Fleo, Sank and Crane also have solo work in this retrospective. Sank and Crane are also on a Crazy Apes wall.

Kamz inside an abandoned building.

Kare at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel for one of the year’s SinoJams.

Above 5: Killa EF, Some, Sober, Pito and Kare for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.
More Killa EF and Pito below under ‘Pito’, and more Pito under ‘Wonez’. Kare also has a solo piece above.

One of Kong’s massive feats of the year, a back-breaking piece painted over 2 consecutive nights.

Above 2: close-up and context shot of Kong’s much noticed hit on a hard to reach spot of the Jacques-Cartier bridge.

Above 2: 2 angles of Kong on a set of containers in the industrial South West.

One of Korb‘s many pieces in the Crack House Deluxe project which he co-created and co-curated with Axe. A photo retrospective of this memorable event is being prepared.

Korb in St-Henri.
More by Korb above under ‘Crazy Apes’.
Korb also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Highwayside Kwun.

Kwun from the first big prod of the year, in Mercier.

Legal in Monkland village.

Legal in Rosemont.

Louis Letters inside an abandoned building.

Louis Letters inside an abandoned building.

Louis Letters in Hochelaga.

The LTG and friends wall for the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival featuring Hoar, EK Sept, Rizek, Hozek, Paynt, Wuna and Haks.
Hoar, EK Sept, Rizek, Hozek and Wuna also make this list with solo pieces. EK Sept also collaborated with Hest. Haks is also found under his name and under ‘Tyxna’.

Above 3: Maniak, C’Lok and Merv in Rosemont.
More by C’Lok above under his name.

Maniak and C’Lok collaboration for the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.

Maniak at the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

Maps and Smak’s section of the TFO40 prod in Côte St-Paul.
More by Smak below in solo and above under ‘Art Gang’.

Maysr in St-Henri.

Maysr for the 2023 Lachine graffiti jam.

Above 2: Meor and Narc off-Mural collaboration.
Narc also has a solo wall in this retrospective.

Metz, Jher, Tankil and Ekual in industrial Ville St-Laurent.
Jher also appears above in solo and under ‘CEK’. Ekual has a solo piece above. Metz is also below under ‘Tens’.

MG crew trackside piece featuring Giles, Shek and Flesh.
Giles and Flesh also have solo pieces in this retrospective.

Micer at the PSC legal graffiti wall.
More by Micer under ‘BAD’ and under ‘Psycho’.

Mitik and Rains at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Mitik and Rains at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Moeka inside an abandoned building.

Above 2: 2 angles of Monet, Seth, Tiko and Cutie on rooftop.
More by Seth and Tiko below under ‘Nineties’.

Monk.e in St-Henri.

Monk.e in St-Henri.

Monk.e in Rosemont.
Monk.e also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Morgue inside an abandoned building.

Moris from a MG crew prod in Mile Ex.

Myrage on an abandoned building.

Myrage in Hochelaga, featuring a character by Rizek.

Naimo and Amon for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.
Amon also contributed to a CEK piece found above.

Naimo in Hochelaga.

Narc‘s contribution to Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.
There’s more by Narc above under ‘Meor’.

One of the many train pieces by Nesar photographed in 2023.

Nineties crew hit by Seth, Gabr and Tiko.
Seth and Tiko are also featured above under ‘Monet’.

Nor’s contribution to the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.

NTFA / XPR trackside hit by Arcel and Beo.

Ofusk‘s contribution to Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Ofusk inside an abandoned building.

Ofusk in Villeray.

Highwayside Omic.

Omic on bridge pillar. There’s more by Omic above, scroll up to ‘Acher’ to view.

Peace and Froke for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Peace from the first big prod of the year, in Mercier.

Penas and Kiler, trackside.

Highwayside Penas in Ville St-Laurent.

Penas in highwayland.

Peru143 on letters and Astro on characters, for Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.
Astro also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art as well as the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations.

Peru143 for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Peyo in Hochelaga.

Pito and Killa EF‘s contribution to the 2023 alley tribute to Scan for Mural Festival.
More by those two above under Killa’s name, and more by Pito under ‘Wonez’.

Pozek from Toulouse at the PSC legal graffiti wall.

Psycho and Micer in Pointe St-Charles.
Both of them appear above in a BAD crew hit. Micer also has a solo piece in this retrospective.

Qepy in Hochelaga.
More by Qepy above under ‘Ekes’.

Resok in Hochelaga.

Resok for the 2023 Lachine graffiti jam.

Resok in Hochelaga.

Riot in a graffiti alley.
Riot also contributed to a BAD crew piece found above.

Rizek in Hochelaga.

Rizek in Hochelaga.
Rizek also appears on the LTG crew wall found above.

Royal‘s contribution to the Crack House Deluxe project.
Royal also contributed to a K6A / Crazy Apes wall, scroll up to view.

Sane in Rosemont.

Sank in Rosemont.
More by Sank above under ‘Crazy Apes’ and under ‘K6A / Crazy Apes’.

Rappel pieces grew in popularity in 2023. Sapo first hit this wall in solo (left), then came back shortly after with Jaker (right).
More by Jake above under his name and under ‘Art Gang’.

Seke and Resn, highwayside.

Sener on letters and Flying Eric on character, inside an abandoned building.

Rappel piece by Sener, between older pieces by Penas and Metz.

Senok in highwayland.

Serak on letters and Nick Sweetman on raccoon, in the 2023 alley tribute to Scan for Mural Festival.
Nick also appears on the ACK / K6A wall near the top of this list.

Sewer and Fomer in Mile End.

Sewer at the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

Sino at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel for one of the year’s SinoJams.

Skor‘s contribution to Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Sluk in Parc-Ex.

Sluk on the roof of an abandoned church.

Smak in Côte St-Paul.
Smak also makes this list under ‘Art Gang’ and under ‘Maps’.

Above 2: 2 angles of Stare gold in Mile End.

Stare at the PSC legal graffiti wall.

Above 4: close-ups and full shot of Stock for TMRC, Airod for TER and Ekes for 203, on a disused VIA train car. More by all three above in this list, under ‘Ekes’. There’s also more by Airod under his name.

Sucr at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Swik in Rosemont.
Swik also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 pasted street art and installations.

Above 3: 3 angles of Tens crew‘ strike on the iconic Molson brewery building.
Metz from this crew also makes this list under his own name. More uncredited Tens crew people are also in this list.

Tens crew off the roof of a Ville-Marie building.

Timer in a graffiti alley.
There’s two more entries by Timer in this list, both found under ‘Art Gang’.

Tom Penny in Mile End.

Tonie in Chinatown.

Tricks on a Pointe St-Charles roof.

Tuna in Ahuntsic.

Above 3: close-ups and full shot of a Tyxna project in Hochelaga, featuring letter pieces by Zek and Fuser, guest Haks, and figurative material by Dodo Osé.
More by Zek near the bottom of this list. More by Haks above under his name and under ‘LTG’.
The Tyxna collective, as well as Dodo in solo, have also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Highwayside VC crew hit featuring Jazz, Castro and Smoke.

Wiser and Ahmer on the marquee of these graffiti terrasses.

Above 2: Wonez and Pito inside an abandoned building.
More by Pito above under his name and under ‘Killa EF’.

Wuna in Hochelaga.
Wuna also contributed as a friend on the LTG crew wall featured above.
She also made it into the Retrospective of 2023 murals and other painted street art.

Wysper‘s contribution to Breaking Walls / Meeting Of Styles.

Zaver and Reboe in St-Henri.
More by these two at the very bottom of this list under ‘Zonek’.

Zek and Cemz‘s section of the TFO40 prod in Côte St-Paul.
Zek also makes this list under ‘Tyxna’. Cemz has solo work and his appearance on an Art Gang wall above.

Zek in Côte St-Paul

Above 2: Dfek (left letters) and Zen (characters, right letters) in Rosemont.
There’s more by those two above under ‘Dfek’.

Zen mural in Rosemont.

Zepo in Rosemont.

Zonek, Reboe and Zaver on the roof of an abandoned building.
More by Reboe and Zaver above, under ‘Zaver’.

Under Pressure Festival 2023

Here’s a photo gallery featuring all the works produced during the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival. After a break in 2022, the festival finally went back to pre-pandemic size, taking place on the weekend of 12-13 August.

For other editions, see the general Under Pressure Festival page.

Cet article-photo présente les oeuvres produites au cours de l’édition 2023 du Festival Under Pressure. Après une pause en 2022, le festival a finalement retrouvé sa dimension d’avant la pandémie, se déroulant le week-end du 12 et 13 août.

Pour les autres éditions, voir la page générale du Festival Under Pressure.


The Crazy Apes wall featuring Korb on character and Akuma, Sank, Crane and Havok on letters.

Above 2: natural shot and ‘recreated’ unobstructed shot of Art Gang’s wall featuring Snipes and Senck and guests Cemz, Timer and Jaker. Close-ups on the top letter pieces below.

Close-up on Cemz‘s piece on the Art Gang wall.

Close-up on Senck and Snipes‘ pieces on the Art Gang wall.

Close-up on Timer‘s piece on the Art Gang wall.

The LTG crew and friends wall featuring Hoar, EK Sept, Rizek, Hozek, Paynt as well as guests Wuna and Haks. Close-ups below.

Close-up on EK Sept and Wuna‘s pieces on the LTG crew and friends wall above.

Close-up on Hoar and Haks‘ pieces on the LTG crew and friends wall above.

Close-up on Rizek‘s piece on the LTG crew and friends wall above.

Serna (top), Tchekon (left) and Sore (right). Close-up on Tchekon’s part below.

Tchekon

Adi

Rouks

Mr Myl, who also guests on Monk.e’s wall found further down this list.

The K6A crew wall featuring figurative section by Snikr and Hank as well as letter pieces by Saer, Ostie, Royal, Awie, Otak, Serak and Axe Lalime. Close-ups on letter pieces below.

Close-up on Saer‘s piece in the K6A crew wall above.

Close-up on Ostie‘s piece in the K6A crew wall above.

Close-up on Royal‘s piece in the K6A crew wall above.

Close-up on Awie‘s piece in the K6A crew wall above.

Close-up on Otak‘s piece in the K6A crew wall above.

Close-up on Serak‘s piece in the K6A crew wall above.

Close-up on Axe Lalime‘s piece in the K6A crew wall above.

Collaboration of Ekes, Airod, Stock and Qepy.

Maniak and C’Lok.

Monk.e and Mr Myl.
Mr Myl also painted a wall in solo, scroll up to view.

Omar Bernal

Adida Fallen Angel

Collaboration of Medusa (right character), Bibi Una (central character), Her (left character), Pest (top left letters), Pinto (ground letters), Fasi (top right letters) and Naia.

Swik

Nor

Nikki Küntzle fitting in with the architecture.

Polographe

Jrne

Mart

Titi McCoy

M.Roboto

Facies

D87

Poutine

Ease

Mono Sourcil

Kamz

La Rue

Leys

Hemr

Aldarwin

Mos Geez

Mr Hydde

Neron

Mural Festival 2023

This article features the new murals created during the 2023 edition of Mural Festival, as well as the temporary art found on the site (St-Laurent between Sherbrooke and Mont-Royal) while it was closed to traffic from June 8th to 18th.

Seven earlier Festival murals have been replaced with new ones in 2023. These are the Milkbox and Hanna Barczyk murals from the 2022 edition, the Burnt Toast mural from the 2020 edition, the multi-artist tribute wall to Scaner from the 2019 edition, the Fintan Magee wall from the 2017 edition, the Betz mural from the 2014 edition and the 10-year old iconic Ashop mural from the 2013 edition.

You may want to check out this walking tour map connecting all Mural Festival creations and other major murals in the area.

Cet article présente les nouvelles murales créées lors de l’édition 2023 du Festival Mural, ainsi que les œuvres d’art temporaires retrouvées sur le site (St-Laurent entre Sherbrooke et Mont-Royal) alors qu’il était fermé à la circulation du 8 au 18 juin.

Sept anciennes murales du Festival ont été remplacées par de nouvelles en 2023. Celles-ci sont les murales de Milkbox et de Hanna Barczyk de l’édition 2022, la murale de Burnt Toast de l’édition 2020, le mur hommage à Scaner de l’édition 2019, celle de Fintan Magee de l’édition 2017, celle de Betz de l’édition 2014, et enfin la murale iconique d’Ashop datant de l’édition 2013.

Vous êtes invités à jeter un coup d’oeil à cet itinéraire pédestre reliant toutes les murales produites dans le cadre de toutes les éditions du Festival ainsi que les autres créations majeures dans le même quartier.


the murals

Tyxna‘s mural featuring Zek, Dodo Osé, Ankh One and Fuser, with assistance from Haks, Arpi and Nick Sweetman.

Benny Wilding

Os Gemeos

Bacon

Above 4: full shot and close-ups on Bordalo II‘s installation made from disused materials.

Lauren Ys

Saype‘s painted piece on the grass of Mont-Royal park. Photo by Saype.

Shalak

Above 2: 2 angles on Cleon Peterson‘s mural.

Tima

Egle Zvirblyte who was also responsible for the visual signature of this edition of Mural. See below for some temporary installations from this artist.

M.Falconer

Dalkhafine


the tribute alley to Scan

For the 2023 edition of Mural, the long segment of the graffiti alley behind St-Laurent that is dedicated to Scan was completely redone. Pieces by the two dozen-plus artists involved are presented below from the left to the right end of the alley.

Pour l’édition 2023 du festival, le long segment de la ruelle graffiti derrière St-Laurent qui est dédiée à Scan a complètement été refaite. Les pièces de la trentaine d’artistes impliqués sont présentées ci-dessous en ordre tel qu’elles apparaissent sur le mur (de gauche à droite).

Sener

Ekes

Pito and Killa EF.

Serak (letters) and Nick Sweetman (raccoon).

Cone

Awie

Soma

Klew and Some.

F.One

Getsa

Dolar

Sewer

Ewol

Axe Lalime (unfinished).

Vect

Cast

Bibi Una

Zion

Aight

Tchug

The DA crew’s section of the wall featuring Smak, Sober, Morz and Sage. Also visible above is Deep.


Isaac Cordal’s figurines

Spanish artist Isaac Cordal was in town for Mural and installed the following 15 figurines in the Mural zone.

L’artiste espagnol Isaac Cordal était en ville pour Mural et a installé les 15 figurines ci-dessous dans la zone du Festival.

This one’s next to an older paste-up by Mad Rats.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 2: close-up and context.

Above 3: different close-up angles.


Junko’s installation

This installation by Junko was on site during the week the Festival happened.

Cette installation par Junko était sur le site pendant la durée du Festival.


Roadsworth’s sidewalk pieces

Roadsworth was the artist in charge of the sidewalk pieces for this edition of the Festival.

Roadsworth était l’artiste contribuant les pièces de trottoir pour cette édition du Festival.


information/ad boards

Shown below are some of the ad board backsides which were also made available to paint while St-Laurent was closed to traffic. This is only a selection of the participating artists, those having previously done urban art.

Vous trouverez ci-dessous quelques-uns des revers de panneaux publicitaires qui ont également été mis à disposition pour être peints pendant que St-Laurent était fermé à la circulation. Ceci n’est qu’un échantillon des artistes participants, ceux ayant déjà fait de l’art urbain.

Korb

Louis Letters

M.Roboto

Alice Demée et Titi McCoy.

Moule

Tshoko


on site installations

One of Egle Zvirblyte‘s information towers.

One of Egle Zvirblyte‘s information towers.

One of Egle Zvirblyte‘s information towers.

Above 2: 2 angles of Birdo‘s installation in the concert zone.

River June‘s installation.

Hest

Hest is one of this city’s top graffiti writers. The gallery below features mostly the work he did since his return to the city in 2017, plus a few collaboration walls from the early 2000s that were still around circa 2014-2015 when I started documenting urban art. The latter walls were already aged and slightly damaged at the time I took my shots, but still in good enough condition to show here for documenting purposes.

To see lots more by this artist than I was lucky to find, particularly the work he did in many places around the world, have a look at his Instagram account. To see the artist in action, have a look at this Youtube video for Graff TV.

Hest est sans contredit l’un des top graffeurs de Montréal. La galerie ci-dessous présente principalement le travail qu’il a réalisé depuis son retour chez nous en 2017, ainsi que quelques collaborations datant du début des années 2000 qui existaient encore vers 2014-2015 lorsque j’ai commencé à documenter l’art urbain. Ces derniers murs étaient déjà vieux et légèrement endommagés au moment où j’ai pris mes photos, mais toujours en assez bon état pour être montrés ici à des fins de documentation.

Pour voir beaucoup plus de cet artiste que ce que j’ai eu la chance de trouver, en particulier le travail qu’il a fait dans de nombreux endroits à travers le monde, jetez un oeil à son compte Instagram. Pour voir l’artiste en action, jetez un oeil à cette video pour Graff TV.


Murals

Hest and EK Sept for the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Hest and Wuna‘s contribution to the 2022 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Stare on NME letters and Hest on character, in a Hochelaga alley.

Hest and Wuna‘s contribution to the 2020 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.

Hest and Wuna on a pillar of the Van Horne overpass.

Collaboration between Hest, Sino and Stare in Petite-Patrie.

A classic solo mural in Mile End.

Hest (calligraphic letters) and Turf One (characters) in the Plateau.

Hest (calligraphic letters) and Turf One (character) in the Plateau

Hest (calligraphic letters), Turf One (characters) and Lou Piensa (words) in the Plateau.


Letter pieces

Inside an abandoned building.

Inside an abandoned building.

In a Hochelaga alley.

In a Hochelaga alley.

In a Hochelaga alley.

At the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

In Villeray.

In a Hochelaga alley.

In a Hochelaga alley.

In a Hochelaga alley.

For the 2023 edition of Breaking Walls.

In Rosemont.

With Wuna on character, in Hochelaga.

In a Hochelaga alley.

In a Hochelaga alley.

In a Hochelaga alley.

On an abandoned building.

In an abandoned building.

In Hochelaga.

In Hochelaga.

Black Out in Hochelaga.

Black Out in Hochelaga.

Life Story in Hochelaga.

Burn Down in Rosemont.

In Hochelaga.

In Rosemont.

In Plateau End.

In Hochelaga.

In Hochelaga.

At the Duff Court graffiti wall.

In a Rosemont alley.

With Wuna on character, in Rosemont.

In Hochelaga.

2 Much Style for Graff TV, in Hochelaga. The making video for this piece can be viewed on Youtube.

In Rosemont.

At the Duff Court graffiti wall.

In a Rosemont alley.

In a Rosemont alley.

With Wuna on character for the 2021 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

At the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

Inside an abandoned building.

In a Rosemont alley.

In a Rosemont alley.

In a Rosemont alley.

In a Rosemont alley.

In the Plateau.

In a Rosemont alley.

In Rosemont.

With Wuna on character, in Rosemont.

In Rosemont.

In Rosemont.

In Côte des Neiges.

On a bridge pillar.

On a bridge pillar.

At the Duff Court graffiti wall.

At the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

On a bridge pillar.

Above: close-up and context shot of a piece on a bridge pillar.

On a bridge pillar.

At the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

On a bridge pillar.

In Petite-Patrie.

Inside an abandoned building.

At the Duff Court graffiti wall.

In Rosemont.

In Rosemont.

At the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

In a Hochelaga alley.

In a graffiti alley.

In Rosemont.

In Hochelaga featuring Wuna on character.

With Wuna on character, in Rosemont.

In a Hochelaga alley.

At the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

In Plateau End.

In a Laval park.

In a Plateau alley.

In the McGill ghetto.

At the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

In a Plateau alley.

At the PSC legal graffiti wall.

In the Plateau.

At the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

At the Papineau legal graffiti wall.

In a Plateau alley.

In Rosemont.

In a Plateau alley.

In a Laval park.

At the PSC legal graffiti wall.

In Rosemont.

In a Plateau alley.

At the Papineau legal graffiti wall.


Figurative pieces

In a Hochelaga alley.

In a Rosemont alley.

On the back of a truck for the 2019 edition of Mural Festival.

In an abandoned tunnel.

In an abandoned tunnel.


Throws and tags

A throw on a bridge pillar.

Tall and throw-like in an abandoned tunnel.

Tag-like calligraphy in an abandoned tunnel.

Tags by Hest and Wuna.

Omar Bernal

Omar Bernal is an artist of Mexican origin, who arrived in Quebec in 2016 and has been living in Montreal since 2019. His street art is mainly figurative, with occasional excursions into the world of graffiti letters. To learn more about his artistic approach and to see the work that I have not had the chance to come across as well as what he does off the street, you are invited to take a look at his personal website and his Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo, Behance and Linked In pages. You can support Omar by buying some of his art or merchandise through omarbernal.art.

Omar Bernal est un artiste d’origine mexicaine, arrivé au Québec en 2016 et vivant à Montréal depuis 2019. Son art de rue est surtout figuratif, avec à l’occasion quelques excursions dans le monde des lettres de graffiti. Pour en apprendre plus sur sa démarche artistique et pour voir le travail que je n’ai pas eu la chance de croiser ainsi que ce qu’il fait hors de la rue, vous êtes invités à jeter un coup d’oeil à son site web et à ses pages Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo, Behance et Linked In. Vous êtes invités à encourager Omar en achetant ses oeuvres ou de la marchandise via omarbernal.art.


solo murals

Pieces in this section are shown in approximate reverse chronological order, so the most recent are at the top.

Les pièces de cette section de la galerie sont présentées en ordre chronologique inverse approximatif, de la plus récente à la plus vieille.

Contribution to the 2023 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.

For the Crack House Deluxe expo.

A mural in Hochelaga meant to be a constant work-in-progress. This is the way the mural looked at the end of the 2022 season.

In Mercier.

Above 3 photos: 3 angles of a door recess for the 2021 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.

In a Verdun alley.

In a Plateau alley.


collaboration murals

Pieces in this section are shown in approximate reverse chronological order, so the most recent are at the top.

Les pièces de cette section de la galerie sont présentées en ordre chronologique inverse approximatif, de la plus récente à la plus vieille.

Above 3 photos: the contribution to the 2023 edition of Canettes de Ruelle by Vatos Abstractos, the duo of Omar Bernal and Adida Fallen Angel.

Omar’s part in a multi-artists mural in St-Michel.

Above 3 photos: a collaboration with Dodo Osé in a NDG park.

Carnales Estridentes, a collective featuring Omar, Aldarwin and Adida Fallen Angel, for the 2022 edition of Canettes de Ruelle.

Omar’s part in a back-to-school production in Parc-Ex.

Above 4 photos: the contribution to the 2021 edition of Canettes de Ruelle by Vatos Abstractos, the duo of Omar Bernal and Adida Fallen Angel. The first 3 shots were taken at the end of autumn after the leaves were fallen as the piece is normally hidden behind leaves, as can be seen in the 4th shot.

Sweet collaboration of Grils and Omar on the garage door of an ice cream shop in Mercier.

Tasty collaboration of Grils and Omar on a restaurant in Villeray.

Collaboration of Origami Explorateur, Aldarwin and Omar.

Collaboration of Grils, Omar and Ofusk in Villeray.

Omar’s contribution to a multi-artist wall in Villeray.

Omar mural in Hochelaga, featuring Tshoko in the bottom left corner and Louis Letters in the bottom right corner.

Whale by Omar over a background by Aldarwin. This is just a section of a long production in Hochelaga.

Omar’s section of a big multi-artist production in Hochelaga.


Dia de los Muertos taqueria production

Omar curated the complete makeover of a Hochelaga taqueria in October 2020. Dozens of artists answered his call and contributed a black and white piece on the theme of El Dia de los Muertos to one of the taqueria’s walls. Omar himself painted pieces here and there within the production. Only his contributions are shown below, for a complete photo rundown of the production see the Retrospective Of 2020 murals and other painted street art.

Omar a organisé la redécoration extérieure complète d’une taqueria Hochelaga en octobre 2020. Des douzaines d’artistes ont répondu à son appel et ont contribué une oeuvre en noir et blanc sur le thème d’El Dia de los Muertos sur l’un des murs de la taqueria. Omar lui-même a peint des pièces ici et là au sein de la production. Seules ses contributions sont présentées ci-dessous, pour un aperçu complet de la production, voir la Retrospective 2020 murales et autre street art peint.

The front. The windows above had been painted in colour by Omar earlier in the year, a shot of this can be seen in the “Windows” below.

The long western wall features Ramses Herrera Medina, Tshoko, Grils, Moule, Jest, Ofusk, LNA, Origami Explorateur, Omar, Nero, Timoh Garcia and Aldarwin.

Omar’s dog Pipa passed away during the production, so he integrated her into it at a few places including this one above Robert Davy.

This segment of the eastern wall shows Omar, Timoh Garcia, Grils, Bezo, Lino and Aldarwin.

The central eastern wall shows Omar, Adi, 3CLO5, Verbe, Huile d’Olive, SciWalkArt, Grils, Timoh Garcia and Aldarwin.


windows

Pieces in this section are shown in approximate reverse chronological order, so the most recent are at the top.

Les pièces de cette section de la galerie sont présentées en ordre chronologique inverse approximatif, de la plus récente à la plus vieille.

The windows of a community centre in Parc-Ex.

The windows of a community centre in Petite-Patrie.

The windows of a taqueria in Hochelaga. The taqueria was later painted in black and white by many artists under the supervision of Omar, see the “Dia de los Muertos taqueria production” section above.


smaller figurative pieces

Pieces in this section are shown in approximate reverse chronological order, so the most recent are at the top.

Les pièces de cette section de la galerie sont présentées en ordre chronologique inverse approximatif, de la plus récente à la plus vieille.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Omar on hands and Aldarwin in the middle, at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Her on central character and Omar on mock magazine cover, at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Collaboration with LNA at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Self-portrait at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

On a refrigerator in the Crack House Deluxe expo.

A quick one at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

In Hochelaga.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel. This is the first version of this piece which was created at the time for the advertisement of an event. Omar later made changes to it, the final result can be seen at some of his personal links.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At Batiment 7.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel, inspired by a sculpture by 3 MG.

Tribute to Bob Ross at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

In a Hochelaga alley.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

In Villeray.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel. Notice the letters spelling out his name in the smoke.

In Rosemont.

A collaboration with Adida Fallen Angel under the collective name of Vatos Abstractos at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Omar’s section of a multi-artist production in Hochelaga.

In Rosemont.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

A collaboration with Adida Fallen Angel under the collective name of Vatos Abstractos at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Aldarwin (whale), Omar (seahorse) and Origami Explorateur (dog/wolf) collaboration at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

A stencil by Titi McCoy over a background by Omar, at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

A nod to Infoman at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Omar on badger and Ofusk on speech bubble, in Hochelaga.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel. The dog pictured on the right is Omar’s dog Pipa.

Omar’s part in a multi-artist group portrait mural in Villeray. The full mural can be seen here.

Omar supplied the newspaper headline background to a mashup piece of Nero and Ofusk at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

A collaboration with Her at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

A collaboration with Her at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Collaboration of Omar, Abir, Aldarwin, 3CLO5 and Andra at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

On a bin of the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

A restaurant front in the Plateau.

A collaboration with Her and Aldarwin at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Riok on letters and Omar on portrait of Riok standing for the ‘O’, at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

For a Hochelaga restaurant.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Omar supplied figurative parts to this letter piece by Dars at the PSC legal graffiti wall.

Omar top left and Lino bottom right, at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

On a Plateau garage door.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

A collaboration with Aldarwin at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

A self-portrait at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel at the very beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Notice the feet and the shadow on the ground. This photo shows the piece almost completed.

A clever reproduction of the heavily-tagged machinery often found on the piers of Montreal metro stations when under repair. The tags in this case were supplied by many other artists present at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel that day: Aldarwin, Macak, Riok, Origami Explorateur, Nero, Derf, Deps, 3CLO5, etc.

A funny take on a popular internet meme, at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

Omar displaying his love of tacos at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.


letters

Pieces in this section are shown in approximate reverse chronological order, so the most recent are at the top.

Les pièces de cette section de la galerie sont présentées en ordre chronologique inverse approximatif, de la plus récente à la plus vieille.

Omar, Aldarwin and Hospek at the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel, announcing a joint expo at le Sino.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel, a tribute to Chabelo.

At the PSC legal graffiti wall.

In Rosemont.

In Rosemont.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.

At the Rouen legal graffiti tunnel.


stickers